Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) and Brandywine Realty Trust have unveiled designs for a pair of aluminum-clad mixed-use towers in Philadelphia. The towers represent a key component of the 14-acre Schuylkill Yards mega-development that is currently taking shape in the city.  

The towers, arranged as a pair of formal "cousins" that correspond to one another in terms of shape, bulk, and formal composition but differ in terms of size and use, are designed to evoke both "exuberant" and "classic" high-rise silhouettes when viewed from different vantages. Rising 512- and 360-feet respectively, the East and West Towers offer a mix of retail and office or residential spaces. Wrapped in regular grids of crab-colored aluminum window frames and spandrel panels, the two towers rest on a series of whimsical arcades that create a series of covered outdoor spaces and interior lobbies around the base of the towers.

According to a press release, PAU found inspiration in the "convergence of materials and textures such as the uniform partitioned windows of the old Pennsylvania Railroad railcars, and the distinct red sandstone, brick and terra-cotta of the landmark Fisher Fine Arts Library" when designing the project.  

Vishaan Chakrabarti, PAU's founder, explained, “This is one of the most important sites in the United States, rife with opportunities for vibrant mixed-uses in the heart of Philadelphia," adding, "At PAU, we believe that in order to write in the city, we must first read the city, from its spatial and material patterns, to the needs of its diverse communities."

Chakrabarti continued, "These buildings aspire to create a sense of place and occasion by enlivening the street and the sky, setting the stage for the evolution of the neighborhood.”

The forthcoming project will sit beside the recently completed SHoP Architects- and West 8-designed Drexel Square tower and open space, a new urban complex that will compliment a sizable innovation campus-themed extension of the adjacent Drexel University campus. 

As such, a major concern for PAU's design involves establishing generous and inviting connections between the tower project and the new urban district that will surround it. That sensibility guides the design of the towers' ground floor areas, which include a series of covered and shaded seating areas that connect to another adjacent park, the SWA/Balsey-designed Highline Park, an “urban foyer” for the development built atop a depressed rail yard. 

PAU's East and West Towers are expected to begin construction in 2020.